(Photo courtesy of Joe Doll)
(Gastonia, N.C., Sept. 4, 2025) – The Long Island Ducks were defeated by the Gastonia Ghost Peppers 5-2 in seven innings on Thursday night in a rain-shortened rubber game of a three-game series at CaroMont Health Park.
Gastonia took a 2-0 advantage in the bottom half of the first inning on an RBI groundout by Cole Roederer and a run-scoring single to right field off the bat of Dalton Guthrie against Long Island starting pitcher David Griffin. The Ducks got to within 2-1 in the fourth courtesy of a Taylor Kohlwey RBI base hit versus Ghost Peppers starter Craig Stem that plated River Town after he led off the inning with a double, but Eric De La Rosa’s leadoff home run to the opposite-field in right in the bottom of the frame made it 3-1 in favor of the home team.
Jack Reinheimer’s sacrifice fly to left in the sixth extended Gastonia’s cushion to 4-1. Ronaldo Flores’ run-scoring base knock in the seventh plated Kohlwey after he led off the frame with a single and later in the inning stole his 13th base of the season.
Stem (4-1) picked up the win after allowing two runs on five hits in six and one-third innings pitched, walking three and striking out one. Griffin (6-3) suffered the loss, giving up four runs on nine hits across five innings on the mound, walking one while striking out three. Sam Bordner retired both batters he faced to notch his first save of the campaign.
Kohlwey had two hits, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base to notch his 25th multi-hit performance of the campaign, while Town doubled, scored a run, stole a base and was hit by a pitch.
The Ducks continue their road trip on Friday night when they open a three-game series with the High Point Rockers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Truist Point. Fans can follow all the action live on FloBaseball. Sign up today by CLICKING HERE. Right-hander Ryan Sandberg (5-4, 4.10) gets the start for the Ducks against Rockers righty Fin Del Bonta-Smith (1-3, 3.55).
Long Island returns home on Tuesday, September 9, to begin a three-game set against the Lexington Legends. Game time is slated for 6:35 p.m., with the Fairfield Properties Ballpark gates opening at 5:35 (5:20 for full season ticket holders). It’s Bark in the Park, presented by VCA Animal Hospitals, and fans are invited to bring their dog(s) with them to enjoy the game. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive Ducks Drawstring Bags. It’s also a Pat’s Marketplace Tuesday and a Triple Play Tuesday at the ballpark. Tickets to the game and all Ducks games are now available and can be purchased by visiting the ballpark box office, calling (631) 940-TIXX or CLICKING HERE.
The Long Island Ducks are in their 25th Anniversary season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and play their home games at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, N.Y. They are the all-time leader in wins and attendance in Atlantic League history, have led all MLB Partner Leagues in total attendance for four consecutive seasons, and have sold out a record 720 games all-time. For further information, visit LIDucks.com or call 631-940-DUCK (3825).
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 state-of-the-art ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Catch every Atlantic League game live at FLOBASEBALL.tv and follow the action at AtlanticLeague.com.
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